How its Made Hatchery Chicks

Summary

The video script explores the chicken-egg conundrum by taking viewers through a hatchery's process of breeding baby chicks. It explains how fertilized eggs are incubated, their development monitored, and how chicks hatch. Post-hatch, chicks are separated, sexed, and vaccinated. The script also touches on the lifecycle of chickens, from egg-laying to meat production, highlighting the commercial aspects of chicken farming.

Takeaways

• 🐣 The age-old question of which came first, the chicken or the egg, remains unresolved, but the process of how baby chicks are bred can be observed in hatcheries.
• 🥚 Fertilized eggs are produced by hens mating, while unfertilized eggs are laid without mating and are the ones commonly consumed.
• 🌡️ Hatcheries mimic natural conditions with specific temperature and humidity levels to nurture the embryo within the fertilized eggs.
• 🔄 The incubation process involves trays of eggs shifting every hour to simulate the natural behavior of hens turning their eggs.
• 🕒 It takes approximately 18 and a half days for the eggs to hatch after incubation.
• 🚫 An infrared sensor helps identify and remove unfertilized eggs, which are then sent to a rendering plant for animal feed.
• 💉 Fertilized eggs are vaccinated against Marek's disease, a common poultry illness, using automated needles that inject the vaccine into the amniotic fluid.
• 🐥 Chicks emerge from their shells after using their beaks to crack them open, and they are able to walk and see shortly after hatching.
• 🔑 The gender of chicks is determined by the length of two rows of feathers; a difference in length indicates a female, while equal length indicates a male.
• 📦 Chicks are sorted into transportation boxes, with some being vaccinated against bronchitis if requested by clients.
• 🐓 Poultry farms raise chicks for either meat or egg production, with females reaching slaughter weight in about 38 days and starting to lay eggs at 20 weeks of age.

Q & A

What is the first step in commercial chicken farming?

The first step in commercial chicken farming is either breeding baby chicks from fertilized eggs or, if you consider the egg came first, the fertilization of eggs by mating.

How are fertilized eggs different from unfertilized eggs?

Fertilized eggs are those that have been fertilized by mating and will develop into chicks, while unfertilized eggs are laid by hens without mating and are typically used for human consumption.

What happens to the eggs at the hatchery?

At the hatchery, the eggs are transferred onto special trolleys and rolled into an incubator where temperature and humidity levels mimic natural conditions to nurture the embryo.

How often do the trays with eggs shift position in the incubator?

The trays with eggs shift position every hour, rotating 45° to the opposite side and back to simulate how hens turn their eggs.

What is the purpose of the infrared sensor in the hatchery?

The infrared sensor detects unfertilized eggs by identifying their too transparent color, and a suction device removes them to be used as animal feed.

What disease are the fertilized eggs vaccinated against at the hatchery?

The fertilized eggs are vaccinated against Marek's disease, a common poultry disease, using automated needles that inject the vaccine into the amniotic fluid.

How many eggs can be expected to hatch out of 168 eggs placed in hatching trays?

About 150 out of 168 eggs can be expected to hatch, with the rest either dying in incubation or having physical defects.

How long does it take for chicks to fully emerge from their shells after starting to crack them?

It takes chicks about 6 to 8 hours to fully emerge from their shells after they start cracking them.

What is the purpose of the separator machine in the hatchery?

The separator machine separates the chicks from the shells, with the shells remaining on top and the chicks falling onto a conveyor belt below.

How are the chicks classified according to gender at the hatchery?

Chicks are classified by workers who check two rows of feathers; if one row is shorter than the other, the chick is female, and if the rows are the same height, it's male.

What happens to the chicks after they are classified by gender?

After gender classification, the chicks are placed into specially designed transportation boxes, with some being vaccinated against bronchitis if requested by clients.

What is the difference in the timeline for egg-laying and meat production between male and female chicks?

Female chicks used for egg production begin laying eggs at about 20 weeks of age, while those for meat production reach slaughter weight in about 38 days. Males, depending on market size, take from 40 to 65 days.